Yesterday after I came inside, got hydrated, and took a cold shower I felt much better. And I felt even better (actually quite giddy) when I cut the rubber bands off this morning! It was just too hot and messy to take pictures of every step, guys, but really this process is not too hard. Just make sure you cover your work area with trashbags and wear rubber gloves!
Tying - These shirts were tied by pinching the middle front of the t-shirt and letting the hem/arms/neck hang down. We then twisted them and banded every two inches or so starting at the top (the place where you pinched) and moving down. If you need to see it, click here. Soda ash soak is next (20 minutes or so), then squeeze out the excess water.
Dying - I used teal and blue Tulip dyes (follow directions on the package but add 1 cup of salt instead of 1/4 cup) and two big buckets (rose buckets left over from a wedding I did). Dip the pinched end into the lighter color not quite halfway and soak for a few minutes. (The longer the soak, the deeper the color.) Remove from dye and squeeze out excess. Flip over and dip the hem/arms/neck end into the darker color leaving about an inch of white space between the two colors and soak. Remove from dye and squeeze. I then wrap the dyed shirts individually in plastic wrap and let them sit overnight.
Untying - Unwrap shirts, cut bands, and rinse shirt until water runs clear. Wash in the washing machine, dry, and wear!
I wanted these shirts to look like the water when you drop a pebble into it: concentric circles, blue, and turquoise. Even though the shirts are all tied and dyed the same way, each of them comes out so differently. Love that!
*** Insrtuctions, video, and other tying tecniques can be found here.
